Health Information
What Do You Know About Prediabetes?
Take this quiz to find out how to decrease your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
1. What blood sugar level may mean prediabetes if you are taking the fasting plasma glucose test?
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
Three tests can be used to find out if you have prediabetes: the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG), the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and the hemoglobin A1C (A1C). The FPG is done after you fast, or go without food, for eight hours. A normal fasting blood sugar level is less than 100 mg/dL. If you have the FPG test, prediabetes is a blood sugar level of 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL. Diabetes is a fasting blood sugar level of 126 mg/dL or greater on two or more separate occasions. The OGTT is done after eight hours of fasting and two hours after you drink a sweet beverage. If you have the OGTT, prediabetes is a blood sugar level of 140 mg/dL to 199 mg/dL. Diabetes is a blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL or greater. The A1C is a blood test. It measures your average glucose level in your blood over a period of three months. You don't need to fast before the blood test is done. You may be considered to have prediabetes if your A1C result is between 5.7 and 6.4 percent, depending on the lab running the test. An A1C of 6.5 percent or higher can be used to diagnose diabetes.
2. If you have prediabetes, when are you likely to develop type 2 diabetes?
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
The actual span of time can vary, based on how physically active you are. If you are overweight, you can actually head off diabetes by losing weight, says the American Diabetes Association (ADA). If you lose 5 to 10 percent of your body weight and begin exercising for 30 minutes every day, you can greatly reduce your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Be sure to check with your health care provider before beginning an exercise program. Other ways to help prevent prediabetes are to control your cholesterol levels and blood pressure. If you smoke, quit smoking.
3. Besides diabetes, a person with prediabetes is at greater risk for which disease?
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
People with prediabetes are 1.5 times more likely to develop heart disease than those who have normal blood sugar levels, according to the ADA. A person with diabetes is two to four times more likely to develop heart disease.
4. How does being overweight add to the risk for prediabetes?
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
Too much body fat can make your body less able to use insulin properly, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Your body then makes more insulin but eventually can't keep up with the demand. The extra blood sugar then builds up in the bloodstream. Exercise has the opposite effect of too much fat. It helps the insulin in your body work more efficiently.
5. Which of these is a symptom of prediabetes?
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
People with prediabetes usually have no symptoms. The only way to know if you have prediabetes or diabetes is to have a blood test. Talk with your health care provider if you think you need a test for this condition.
6. Who should be tested for prediabetes and/or diabetes?
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
Anyone age 45 or older should be tested for diabetes, says the NIDDK. Because your risk rises as you get older, talk with your health care provider about testing if you are 45 or older. If you are younger than 45, you should be tested if you are overweight and at least one of these describes you: a family history of diabetes; low HDL cholesterol levels and high triglyceride levels; high blood pressure; a history of diabetes during pregnancy or a baby born weighing more than 9 pounds; or a member of a minority group that includes African-American, American Indian, Hispanic American, or Asian American/Pacific Islander.
7. If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, when should you have your blood sugar tested again?
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
If either diabetes test is positive, your health care provider may order a more complicated test to confirm the diagnosis.
Your score was:
